Forest work
Forest work means any activity for the care and use of forest within the forest . These include new plantings (of forest crops ), targeted care measures ( cultivation , clearing , clearing , clear cutting ), timber harvesting , logging activities and road construction.
Forest work is carried out by trained forest managers , forest owners or forest farmers . The share of piece wages in forest work is high.
Tools and machines
Typical tools used in manual forest work are power chainsaws , ax and felling wedge (see list of forestry equipment and machines ). With the use of motorized machines such as wood harvesters , forwarders , tractors (e.g. skidders ) and the corresponding work processes, forest work can now largely take place on an industrial scale. This mechanical wood harvesting has been used in Germany since the 1990s and has meanwhile increasingly pushed back manual forest work. Manual forest work often comes into play, especially when logging logs.
safety
Forest work is a dangerous activity and often serious accidents occur. The proportion of fatal accidents at work in the forestry industry is three times as high as in the construction industry .
Particular emphasis should therefore be placed on occupational safety in order to avoid accidents:
- In order to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, training in occupational safety, machine technology and felling techniques, for example, is absolutely recommended, and in the commercial sector it is even mandatory.
- The accident prevention regulations must be observed. It is essential to wear complete personal protective equipment ( PPE forest ).
- Before tick bites should you protect yourself. A vaccination against meningitis / TBE may be recommended . If symptoms of Lyme disease occur, medical help must be sought as soon as possible.
- The use of special special fuels is recommended to reduce pollution. In the state forest this is for quite some time provision.
In some federal states there is a system of rescue points through the forest rescue chain , where defined and numbered approach points make it easier for rescue workers to find the workers in the forest.
literature
- Uwe Tobä: Between a stopwatch and a splitting ax. The history of forest worker training in the 20th century. Interdisciplinary investigation with special consideration of forest work science and professional and work pedagogical developments, basics and justifications . Conte-Verlag, Saarbrücken 2003, 472 pages, ISBN 3-9808118-7-5